Hot Water
by GamblingDementor
Summary: Future fic: pregnant Zhu Li is spent, tired and upset. Varrick knows how to make her feel better.


The water was running hot on her skin, but it did very little to help washing away the problems of the day. Her back was aching, she was exhausted, every single muscle of her body was sore and she felt _lonely_. The children had been in bed for an hour and were fast asleep the last time she'd checked, before the shower, and Varrick was out on a business trip in the Northern Water Tribe. Funny how they still accepted to trade with him after his making them look like terrorists to the police of Republic City. She missed him.

It had been like that for the two other pregnancies: as soon as Zhu Li was beginning to show even the smallest of bumps, he had refused for her to go anywhere near any sort of potential danger. This time, he had forbidden her to board with him on a ship, arguing that he would not have his fourth born and his dear wife die drowning in the deep seas of his sister tribe. She had not argued back. Not because she felt he was allowed to tell her what to do, not at all. She hated that part and had made sure to remind him that, if she'd wanted to, she would have sailed on that ship whether he allowed it or not. No, that wasn't the reason. It was simply that, with all the morning sickness she had been suffering from for the last two months, she would not tempt the universe by giving herself a perfect opportunity to be sea sick.

And so it was that she'd stayed at home. And had regretted it a thousand times. Varrick had only been gone for three days and she already felt at the end of her rope. The twins had been horribly disobedient ever since he'd left and Aricka had already broken about half of their home. She was exhausted. And to add a horribly unwanted icing to that disaster cake, the baby had started kicking just yesterday and instead of feeling like a delightful surprise as it had the other times, it now felt that even their unborn child was against her. In a nutshell, Zhu Li felt like a horrible mom after yelling at the kids far more times than she should have, she felt gross and dirty after a whole day cleaning up the messes Aricka had created, she felt _tired_.

Arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She startled but relaxed as soon as she heard his voice.

"I love it when your hair is down, tiger seal."

Varrick's lips were on her neck as he hugged her close to him.

"I didn't even hear you come in."

"Sounds like you have a lot on your mind."

"I had a busy day."

"Wanna tell me?"

"After you tell me what you're doing here and not on the ice fields of the north."

His hands joined on her belly, as he so often did nowadays, caressing her skin. The water and steam surrounding them were hot, but most of all, Varrick was her furnace, as always. She closed her eyes and leaned against his torso, letting herself be engulfed into his embrace.

"I missed you too much," he said, pressing a kiss against her wet hair. "I left a day earlier and there was nothing they could say to convince me to stay."

She grabbed onto his arms, never wanting to let him go again. He chuckled at her obvious display of affection.

"And you look like you needed me here, my sweet."

"More than you can imagine."

"Mmh… I think I know what you need."

"At this point, I'll take anything at all."

"You need a bath. A hot bath. And a massage."

This man really knew how to sweet talk to her. She nodded shyly. Suddenly his arms left her and she was left to look around for him.

He had left the shower to go run water in the bathtub. Without him, she felt horribly alone and cold, despite the hot water still running. She switched it off and turned to him. How she had missed him. He looked even more handsome than in her memory. His beautiful hair was wet and begged her to run her hands through it but before she could do such a thing, he pulled a thick purple bathrobe out of a closet and draped it on her shoulders. She frowned but he gave her one of his signature smiles.

"Go check on the little ones, if you will, tiger seal. I don't want them walking in on us later."

With a wink and a push on her back, he hushed her out of the bathroom into the hall.

She was almost cold by the time she reached the part of the house where the children's bedrooms were. Damn Varrick and his overprotective self. The children were probably just _fine_, and she only just wanted to relax in the bath he was running right now. She nearly groaned in frustration but, with the kids sleeping a few yards from her, she had to hold back. Not that they would wake up anyway. It was surely past midnight.

She peeked through the door of the twins' bedroom and her heart warmed up at the sight before her. Even though they both had their own king-size bed (Varrick had insisted that it was absolutely necessary to sleep in a huge, soft, comfortable bed, being the spoiling father he always was), the boys often ended up in just one bed by the morning. Sometimes it just seemed that they'd been together for so long in the womb that they could not stand to be separated at all ever since, even at three years of age. It was adorable in a weird way. Zu was sprawled all over the covers of Lee's bed, snoring lightly and completely crushing his brother, though he was sleeping just as soundly despite the burden. The room was a mess. Zhu Li was _not_ looking forward to dealing with that the next day. She closed the door silently and went to the opposite side of the hall, where Aricka's room was.

Their daughter wasn't in her bed. Zhu Li's heart skipped a beat. Her mind began to list possible reasons why she might be missing and none of them sounded good. She stepped inside the room to have a look around before panicking without cause. She was about to go open the closets to look for something, anything that might give her a clue to where her daughter was when she stepped on something pointy. Despite herself, she let out a cry of pain and almost fell.

"YAAAAAAAAH!"

At once, she was assaulted by little fists punching her thighs and had to take a second look to really believe what she was seeing. Fortunately, her daughter was quicker and stopped hitting quite immediately as soon as she realized who she was facing.

"Oh. It's you, mommy. I'm sorry."

Aricka was wearing her water tribe clothes. Blue tunic, blue boots, blue armbands, blue hair ribbons, everything lined with white fur. She even had a sword in hand, similar to the ones used in the century war, but it was in wood and could not injure anyone (which was just as well, considering she was a wild child and would make anyone feel unsafe if she possessed a real weapon). Her face was painted in the traditional warrior colours and she almost looked like a real little soldier.

Zhu Li opened her mouth, then closed it. What was there even to say? In the end, she sighed as she watched Aricka sneak through the room, taking a look left and right in the corridor, as if looking out for predators or enemies.

"The hall is clear," she finally said, torso swelling with pride.

"Sweetie, it's well past bedtime. What are you doing out of bed?"

There was no point in asking why she was wearing such warm clothes in their perfectly heated mansion in Republic City, how she had painted her face so well on her own or why she was acting like a warrior before a battle. Zhu Li had learned long ago that, just like her father, Aricka was unpredictable, and no explanation could ever be given for their folly.

"Daddy's not back before tomorrow. When he's not here, I'm the one looking out for our safety."

"Did he tell you that?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Good. Because even when daddy _is_ here, _I_'m the one looking out for our safety, and he'd better know that. Now go back to bed and sleep."

She picked up the toy shuriken that she had stepped on in the first place and put it back in the toy box, then turned to face her daughter, who was still standing in the middle of the room, her little fists clenched.

"I said go back to bed, Aricka. I'm tired tonight, I don't want to argue."

"What were you doing in my room?" Aricka interrupted.

Sometimes Zhu Li wished she had given birth to a boring good little girl who didn't ask questions. But then again, Aricka was _never_ boring at all and that was a good thing too. Varrick was certainly never boring either and she loved him for that.

"I was checking if you were sleeping, which you were _not_, but you should be."

"Are you going to sleep too, then?"

For a split second, Zhu Li thought of telling the truth. She wondered what her daughter's face would look like if she simply answered with her real plans. _No, sweetie, I'm not going to sleep just yet. Your daddy's completely naked and waiting for me in a hot bath and I can't wait for him to get his hands all over me. It's been three days, and that's three days too many. We are going to relax together in a nice cozy bath, no kids allowed, and probably end up giving each other a couple of orgasms._ Then _we'll go to sleep. Any questions? _But it would be completely inappropriate to say anything like that to a five year old. Or even to anyone, actually. Also, it would let Aricka know that Varrick was back from his business trip and Zhu Li did not want to share him with anyone at all tonight.

"Yes, I'm going to sleep now," she finally answered. "Just like you."

Aricka climbed in her bed, still clad with her warrior outfit. Zhu Li thought she should wash the paint off her face, but brushed off the idea. She was _exhausted_. It would have to wait until the morning. She did not want to wait a minute more than she had to, she wanted to get back to Varrick and he was in the bathroom anyway so there was no way to just go in there and quickly wipe the paint of Aricka's face. Also, it was half a miracle already that their daughter had gone to bed without much fighting. She would not give her a cause to stay up.

"Good night, mommy."

"Good night, sweetie. I love you."

"Mmh."

She gave her a kiss on the forehead and quietly walked out of the room. By the time she closed the door, Aricka was already breathing deep and slow, asleep.

When she stepped inside the bathroom, she was first hit by the sweet scent of soap, her favourite soap to be more accurate, the one that smelled like wild flowers. Then she heard that Varrick had put on some quiet music, very low but just enough to give a comfortable, intimate atmosphere to the room. Then finally, she saw him sitting in the bathtub, covered in bubbles, completely relaxed, his head hanging back. His hair was wet and she couldn't help running her fingers through it softly. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, smiling.

"How are our little monsters?"

"Aricka tried to attack me like I was a common thief and Zu is in Lee's bed again."

"A regular night, then."

She let out a low chuckle, too tired to even laugh.

"The water's just right, tiger seal. Come with me."

As if she needed convincing. She made quick way of her bath robe, kicking it away from the bath tub, and nestled into his loving embrace in the water, her back against his chest.

"I missed you," they both said at the same time.

She smiled and felt him do too against her neck.

"I thought you'd never come back."

"I'm here now."

His hands settled on her belly once again and she leaned against his torso, almost lying down. She felt peaceful and content for a grand total of seven seconds, before the baby started kicking inside her and she curled up in pain. Varrick hugged her closer at once, stroking her hair, soothing the pain away.

"Did the baby just…?"

"Yes."

"While I was holding you?"

"Yes."

"_Rude_."

"Less worrying about the baby's politeness towards you, more supporting, please. It still hurts."

"Oh, right, sorry."

With one arm, he cradled her against him, and massaged her back softly with the other, rubbing calming circular patterns into her skin. The kicking began to recede and she was beginning to feel really relaxed again.

"Perhaps we made another bender."

"Or perhaps she's very happy to see you."

Varrick's hand stopped on her back and she groaned. He started rubbing again immediately at the sound.

"_She_?"

"I think it's a girl."

"You had me there for a while, tiger seal! I thought you'd gone to the healer without me!"

"I wouldn't. I just have this feeling."

"I would love another girl!"

She smiled, remembering how Varrick had fallen in love with Aricka the minute she was born, though raising a baby hadn't been easy for either of them in the beginning.

"I want a child that's as kind and sweet as the others, but also _quiet_. Boy or girl."

"I'm afraid that's impossible, dear tiger seal."

"Why is that?" she asked, bringing both his arms in front of her, wrapping them around herself.

"Every child I father is bound to have the Varrick touch."

With these words, he squeezed her ribs, tickling her, blowing raspberries against her neck, and made her laugh despite herself, so much she snorted.

"You… ha ha… Varrick, stop it!… You are the silliest man I've ever met."

"Oh, but you like that."

She nodded and sighed lovingly, happy to be with him, happy to be his.

"Lee and Zu made a mud storm together yesterday."

"Haha! Dirty little rascals."

"I had to clean up the mess by myself."

"You should have asked them to."

"Believe me, Varrick, they were not to be tamed."

"I'll try to find a bending master for Lee as soon as I can. That should calm him down."

"What about Zu?"

"Bolin can teach him. The kid's pretty good with earth, rocks, all that. Lava, too."

"Let's just hope Zu won't turn out to be a lavabender."

"I don't know. He might. Smoking hot runs in the family."

His hands reached up to cup her breasts, his mouth dropping kisses in her neck.

"You, Sir, are the biggest flatterer in the world."

"Mmh, you haven't called me that in years…"

His lips barely lifted from her skin and she felt the words more than she heard them. His hands were rubbing against her breasts, light as feathers but enough to make her throw her head back against him. Now _that_ was the true Varrick touch. He had a way to make her feel wanted even when she felt at the worst. And to make her want him. Three days really had been far too long.

"I think they're bigger already," he noted.

"Mmh, at least they're not so sore as they used to," she sighed with pleasure.

"I'm sure they could stand a bit more massaging, though," he said, circling her nipples with his thumbs.

He was starting to get hard, she could feel him against her lower back. She wanted to turn around and grab him to start the whole thing, but she was far too tired for that just now. Instead, she grabbed one of his hands and pulled it between her legs.

"Well, well, aren't you being impatient, tiger seal?"

He might say that, but his fingers obeyed her silent plea all the same. Or so she thought. His hand cupped her mound and gently massaged it, but somehow he stopped at that. She tried raising her hips, giving him a better angle, but he would have none of it.

"Varrick…" she groaned.

"Yes, my sweet?" he asked and the fingers of his other hand kneaded her breast.

"If you don't get that hand to work immediately, I swear I'll…"

"Alright, alright! Let's not get too hasty in threats!"

Yes, Zhu Li could definitely say that she knew how to get Varrick to bend to her will. Immediately, his fingers parted her lips, rubbing against her, probing around, still teasing, but very soon he dipped one inside her and she could only let out a moan and throw her head back, exposing her neck to his tender kisses.

She meant to tell him how much she love his finger inside her, which quickly became fingers, his palm grounding against her in just the right way, his arm wrapped tightly against her, how amazing and safe and loved he made her feel, but the words could not come out. She hated how flustered and helpless he made her feel, what a mess she was whenever he touched her. Or did she love it? The feelings were one and the same.

"You know, my sweet Zhu Li," he whispered in a low voice just against her ear and she could give no answer but a moan when he twisted his fingers inside her, rubbing against the exact right spot.

"Mmh…"

"I used to not like touching you under water that much."

"Wh…what?"

"I thought I could never tell if I was doing the right thing."

Oh he was definitely doing the right thing now.

"But now, despite the water, I just _know_ that you're wet for me."

She bucked her hips against his hand, splashing water outside the tub, but she did not care about that at all. Varrick started to slowly rub his erection against her in a rhythm with his fingers inside her, nibbling at her neck. She knew that she was pink in the face, that she was completely at his mercy, and did not care anymore. All that mattered was his touch, his mouth on her skin, his arms surrounding her. He was inside her, against her, around her, and she needed nothing else.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are when you're getting off."

Pleasure was building up inside her. Desperately, her arms found a way to his neck and she grabbed his head, pulling it down to kiss him as fiercely as she could. He was unhurried, though, and she loved him as much as she hated him for that. Relentlessly, his fingers worked her up at his own pace, in this tidal move of his that left her panting against his mouth. She was thankful that the bathroom was not too close to anyone's bedroom, because she would have woken them a hundred times already with the moans escaping her lips. Varrick's hand on her breast squeezed it, played with it, and her whole body felt hot and burning.

"Varrick, I'm gonna…"

"Yes," he said and gave her a breathless kiss, "yes. Do it for me."

A flick of his thumb at the right place and time and she was a goner. She groaned and let it all go, grinding her hips against his hand as wildly as she wanted, taking every last little bit of pleasure she could get. He was with her all along, keeping her close, never quite stopping his fingers until every last shiver was gone and she stopped shaking. Then his hand ran back up her body, slowly, caressing her belly lovingly on its way, and wrapped around her, hugging her close.

"Thank you for that, tiger seal."

She gave a low, tired chuckle.

"Thank _you_. You're really starting to get good at this."

He pinched her side teasingly and she could only giggle at her own expense. Really, he turned her into a blushing schoolgirl any time.

"I've never been not good at this and you know it."

"Mmh. Maybe."

She turned her head to look him in the eyes and knew at once that the night was not over. This was sure to wake her out of her post-climax bliss.

"How about we get out of this bath? The water's lukewarm already."

She did not feel cold in the least but that might have to do with Varrick's arms around her. She nodded and he stood up immediately. As he went about the room to find warm towels for them, she sat there and watched. He was still hard as rock. By the look in his eyes, she knew he very well intended to do something about it. The night was _definitely_ not over. He held up a towel in front of him and winked at her.

"Come here."

She stood up and he wrapped her into the towel.

"There. A Zhu Li wrap, nice and cozy."

He took another towel and put it around her hair clumsily. It would fall in a few moments, but she had no intention of still being covered with anything at all by then, except Varrick's body. If she knew what she wanted, she might as well be direct about it.

"Bedroom, now."

He had barely had time to wrap a towel around his waist but she left the room and he followed her like a little koala-puppy.

She kicked the door of their bedroom open and slammed it shut as soon as Varrick got in. Pushing her against the door, she kissed his knowing smirk away.

"I've missed you," she said between kisses. "All of you."

Her hand slipped underneath the towel, grabbing his length. As soon as she stroked him, he gasped and caught her sides for balance.

"You certainly don't waste any time!"

"Actually," she said and rubbed her thumb against his tip, making him flinch, "this is me taking my time."

"_I'_m not a very patient man," he said and swooped her off her feet in a heartbeat.

The towels fell off their bodies as he carried her to the bed. With much care, he laid her on the bed and scrambled on top of her at once. Their mouths joined, their hands wound up in each other's hair, and he nudged her legs apart with his knees. He was ever so careful to keep his body from crushing her pregnant belly, and she loved him for it. Might as well not give the new baby a reason to kick. Or squish it.

"You ready for something big, tiger seal?"

She could only smirk in answer. Varrick had never been the most modest of men. There was no reason why he would be such a man in the bedroom either. He positioned himself right against her and she crossed her legs behind his back, all ready for him. She nodded and he guided himself inside her in one quick move, getting a loud moan out of her. She had to appreciate that even after giving birth to three children, after ten years together, she still felt that very special tingle every time he thrust inside her.

His hips rolled against hers, pulling and pushing like the waves. There was no wasting time at all. He drove into her over and over and over again, leaving her a gasping mess. She was clutching his back as if holding onto her dear life. This man would be the death of her.

"You like this?"

Like wasn't a strong enough word, really. How could she describe how good he made her feel, how safe and protected yet sexy and attractive at the same time. How could she even begin to tell him how much she loved his weight above her, his arms around her, and most of all _him_ inside her bringing her to the highest spheres of pleasure.

"I love you," she sighed and he nibbled at her neck. "I love you so much."

Much like in the other areas of his life, Varrick loved to be loved and praised in the bedroom. Zhu Li had learned that long ago when she'd noticed his strong reaction whenever she said anything about him and she knew that, not only it got him off, but it also made him feel immensely appreciated. After all the efforts he had consistently done ever since they'd got together, he deserved a little flattery. She meant every word anyway.

"You're so good at this," she whispered into his ear.

"Mmh…"

He pulled out completely and drove himself back in with a hard thrust and she could only moan and twist her hands into his still wet hair.

"Mmh, I love it when you do that."

"Let me see your face."

He braced himself on his arms, his hands on either side of her face, and their eyes met. He gave her a few of these long deep thrusts she loved and she was careful to never break eye contact. She knew she was blushing, breathing heavily and that her hair went in all directions, but if her own opinion of Varrick in the same state was any indication, she knew her husband wouldn't mind.

"You're beautiful."

She raised a hand to run through his hair, pushing a wet tendril behind his ear, and he kissed the hand before she settled it on his torso, feeling his heartbeat. He leaned in to kiss her, stopping his thrusts just a moment. She missed the feeling, but the look in his eyes after the kiss filled her with a love that surpassed it all.

"And you're handsome."

She waited a few seconds before adding the second part.

"And _so_ hot."

_There_ was the special Varrick smile, plastered all over his handsome face.

"Oh, _really_? And what do you like about me?"

"Mmh, I'll tell you when you start moving again…"

His hips gave a slow, teasing thrust. Not that she would complain. When he kept a slow pace, it let her enjoy the sweet sensation of stretching to the fullest and that was good as well. It gave their lovemaking a romantic, intimate dimension that he completed by leaning back on his elbows, resting just against her. The bump of her belly might be right between them, soon too big to ignore, but right now, he could still hug her, kiss her, be right above her and that was all she ever asked for.

"I like your hair," she began, and he stroked _her_ hair, their faces so close that their noses almost touched. "It's soft and bouncy, and I like to … mmh, do that again."

He gave her a peck on the lips and jerked his hips in the same way he had just a second ago.

"… Yeah, just like that… And your hair… I like to touch it. I like to be the big spoon because I love your hair."

She was pretty much rambling, led by her strong feelings for him, but she knew he was still listening. He always was.

"Yours always smells so good," he said and buried his face against her neck, breathing deeply.

"I love your chest," she said and one of his hand came to rest on her breast, just above her heart, playing with a nipple just hard enough to make her blush. "That feels nice…"

"All of you feels nice, tiger seal."

She could repay the compliment, of course, all of his body felt nice, but had to admit that a certain part of his body was a lot more arousing than the rest right now. Namely the one deep seated within her.

"You know what I love the most?"

"Do tell, my sweet little wife."

It was a good thing that she was specifically thinking about his cock, because she wouldn't have been able to form any other thought at all under his thrusts. He might be teasing and playful in his words, but in lovemaking, he was relentless and certainly did not lose focus.

"I like that…" she tried to say but the rest never left her mouth. Whether it was because Varrick's mouth latched on her breast and made her lost her thoughts, or because she was too embarrassed to say it out loud, she could not tell.

"You like that?" he said, his mouth making a pop sound as he let go of her nipple to talk.

"No, I mean… Yes, I do like that, but I like that you…"

He was looking right into her eyes, devilishly handsome, just as his tongue teased her, circling her nipple, playing with her, making her forget her thoughts. But most of all what distracted her from talking was his ramming in and out of her, in and out, as secure and steady as the tides.

"I like that you're big and thick and … mmh…"

"I didn't take you for such a poet, my sweet tiger seal."

"I like that you make me feel whole."

Varrick was the one to moan at that. For the first time that night, his thrusts became erratic, lacking the delicious control that he usually exerted. Apart from the initial tingling, this was Zhu Li's favourite part of making love. She knew that he was drawing near the end and loved to know that she was the only one making him feel that way.

"You are the best lover… in the whole world," she whispered in his ear to entice him, though she was just as turned on as he was.

He groaned in response and thrust harder, faster.

"I love you so much."

"I… love you… too…"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him for a kiss, to which he responded most eagerly. When he pulled away to breathe − more like gasp in his condition −, she looked at him straight in the eyes and tried to emulate the seductive voice that got her so worked up usually.

"Come for me, Varrick."

With a strangled groan, he spent himself inside her. He gave a few last thrusts, riding out his pleasure, before letting out a loud breath and pulling out, lying beside her.. Now that was the part she liked the least, the feeling of emptiness she was left with, but he was quick to replace it with his fingers. With him touching him with his magic fingers, his mouth nibbling at her neck, she was very soon reaching the same pleasure as him. For the second time that night, she gasped, bucked against his hand, feeling herself clench and shiver against her fingers. Damn sexy bastard with his heavenly touch. She was spent.

Her eyes were closing already and she barely noticed Varrick cover them up with the blankets.

"How about that massage, tiger seal?"

"Mmh…"

She turned to her side, actually turning her back to him, though in no proper position to have it massaged. The healer had suggested not to lie down on her belly anyway.

"I love you, Zhu Li."

"Love you too," she uttered and the last thing she could remember was his arms wrapping around her, cradling her, before slumber took her.


End file.
